Medicinal Uses For Clivia Miniata

Half of the glossy, strap-shaped leaves of the Clivia miniata arc gracefully to the left and the other half to the right, reminding you of two hands offering a gift--in this case, a single spike supporting 30 or 40 brilliant, orange flowers. The frank beauty of this native South African plant seduces and distracts the observer, giving no hint of the poisons within or the important medicinal uses of its rhizome, roots and leaves.

To Reduce Fever

The rhizomes, or bulbous underground stems, of Clivia miniata are extremely poisonous because they contain several alkaloids, of which lycorine is the best known. The Zulu and South Africans treat fever with this part of the Clivia.

To Treat Snake Bites

Another medicinal use of the Clivia miniata rhizome is as a remedy for snake bites and to relieve pain in general. According to Clivias.com, the rhizome is so toxic that prolonged use is not recommended.

To Aid Pregnancy and Hasten Childbirth

The entire Clivia miniata plant is used to ease pregnancy and speed childbirth. A study of the use of herbal medicines by pregnant Malaysian women, published in Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences in 2008, noted that practitioners in South Africa prepare an herbal remedy known as isihlambezo from Clivia miniata and other plants to treat ailments common to pregnancy such as indigestion, edema, infection, constipation and hypertension.

To Treat Cancer

In a 2009 study reported in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, lycorine, an alkaloid extracted from Clivia miniata, showed important anti-tumor activity in cancer cells that were resistant to other treatments.

Medicinal Uses for Clivia Miniata

To Reduce Fever

To Treat Snake Bites

To Aid Pregnancy and Hasten Childbirth

To Treat Cancer

References

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